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Early in the morning on March Day (today, January 22), pro-lifers woke up to a kick in the solar plexus with the news that the Pain-Capable Infant Protection Act had been pulled from the House Calendar late the night before. Out of the blue, because some female Members of Congress suddenly got cold feet. After all the grassroots and grasstops organizations had sent out their alerts a week ago.

By noon, there was some comfort in the consolation prize: a vote on HR 7, the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act. HR 7 had been hastily introduced last night and put on a fast track. Not a problem because the identical bill with identical number had passed the House in the last (113th) Congress.

So there is a fight to look forward to, after all. And it is a good fight to have. *UPDATE* Today by a vote of 242-179 the House passed H.R. 7, the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act.

Why is Obamacare funding abortion when the President promised it wouldn’t? Why do the health care exchanges make it impossible to tell whether a given plan pays for abortion? Why is Planned Parenthood receiving 40% of its revenue from the American taxpayer? Since Obama became President, according to AUL President Charmaine Yoest, Planned Parenthood has reported $510 million in profit, and yet it still has received $3 Billion in tax dollars.

It puts Planned Parenthood on the defensive to have to answer questions like that when the American people still have to pinch their pennies. And that’s a good position for our side to be in. Fiscal conservatives with no dog in a values fight can pile on in this one.

Marchers today were present in great and spirited numbers, as always.

So, at the end of the day, the pro-life movement didn’t really get a kick in the solar plexus. Maybe it got rolled, but that’s politics. No historic votes were cast, as I was anticipating in my last post. But a case can be made that the ball was moved forward a little bit.

But there are still those red flags. The danger signals are the female Republican Members of Congress who seem to have precipitated the sudden change of plans. Barely six months ago, Renee Ellmers (NC-2) spoke in favor of enacting the Pain-Capable legislation. So did Jackie Walorski (IN-2).

What happened between then and now that made them and some other female Members scare their colleagues badly enough last night to pull the Pain-Capable Infant Protection Act from the House calendar today?

Why has the PTSD engendered by Todd Aiken more than two years ago not been cured yet? That is a topic for another day.

The pro-life movement tries hard to be a team player. A week ago, most pro-lifers felt like our movement was considered a valued player by the party in power in Congress. At the end of the day today, we know we’re still on the team, but some are not sure how we—and our issue—really are regarded.

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Connie Marshner has been a pro-life, pro-family researcher, grassroots trainer, organizer, and lobbyist; manager; writer; homeschooler; editor; campaign adviser; coalition leader; fundraiser; and political strategist. She is absolutely thrilled now to be a blogger for Human Life Review.